Para USA (formerly Para Ordnance) is marketing what appears to be an updated (or just rebranded) version of Al Zitta’s Z-M Weapons LR300 AXLT carbine called the Para Tactical Target Rifle (PTTR). The PTTR operates via a modified direct-gas-impingement (DGI) system, which the company calls "Delayed Impinged Gas System (DIGS) (TM). Basically, the PTTR, just like the LR300, has moved the recoil spring up front, on top of the op-rod (operating rod), which the company claims simultaneously reduces muzzle rise and noise in the shooter’s ear, and supposedly also runs cleaner.

The PTTR also comes with a flat-top upper receiver, free-float rail system/forend rail tube, flip-up front and rear BUIS, Phantom-style flash hider (flash suppressor) and a 5-position telescoping/folding stock (buttstock) called the "Rapid Deployment Stock (RDS)", which folds to the left side.

So, what’s the price? The PTTR has a rather serious MSRP of $2,297. Let’s just say that the PTTR had better live up to the hype if Para wants to sell a lot of them. That said, starting in 2009, a PTTR conversion upper receiver will be made available, so you don’t have to buy a complete rifle. DefenseReview doesn’t yet have pricing on that product/option.

The following information on the PTTR and DIGS operating system comes directly from Para’s website:

Having the recoil system up front over the barrel puts it where it naturally pushes the rifle back down on target instead of up and into your shoulder.

The Tactical Target Rifle’s gas system not only improves target acquisition but it also keeps the chamber area cleaner. The gases that flow through the tube inside the op-rod are expelled through the Manifold Injector System™ (MIS™) in the bolt carrier making it the cleanest running autoloading rifle in the world.

Bailing in and out of a Humvee or MRAP vehicle with a conventional rifle can be slow and awkward but the Para Tactical Target Rifle with its DIGS recoil system gives you the advantage of compactness without having to shorten the barrel and lose velocity.

The Rapid Deployment Stock™ (RDS™) reduces the overall length of the Tactical Target Rifle by almost 10-inches when the stock is folded. The unique 5-position sliding stock means that whether you are 5-foot 4" or 6-foot 4" the Tactical Target Rifle will fit you.

"For the past decade one of my top secret weapons in the competition world has been the Tactical Target Rifle. I have trusted it and used it exclusively for over ten years. Its unique design lets me get on target faster with accuracy and reliability unmatched in any other rifle. And it is just fun to shoot." – Todd Jarrett, World Champion Shooter and Instructor

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.